The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-12-30
THE OLD TUNE-BOOK.


One iay Hiram Atkins stopped into
secondhand book store at the corner.
and was fumbling over lot Of old
xolumc< that had been placasdcd ''for
II. Cheap" Hiram had passion
AZ quaint old books. and many time |
a. mere tr;fle he had bought litera-
,,rs thai no money conld have induced
Nm % part with. And now. As he
,nmmarrd among the musty volumes.
he heard piping voice that startled
him strangely
..waal. meow. IL II amt Hi Atkins'
Bu,. sakes alive! how he has filled
eoutr'
This was what the voice said. and
The shrilI tones took Hiram Atkins
away back over the years. and over the
hills. and over the rivers. and Il seemed
10 him As II he were boy again-a
rudy little boy in prim Vermont
village among the rugged hills
Gee wh.l!ikinsr' said Hiram. "lt's
Carminy Sacry. Yes. an its the
very same Carminy used 10 sing eout
Of when lb'longed TO The choir
50 i, was; the same green-backei.
oblong book 81 church music WHICH
Hiram's grandmother had bought for
him when he was 4 boy and began go
ing to singing school. That was many
years ago. and times were all different
now Hiram Atkins was no longer a
boy: battling In this great noisy West
ern world had brought wrinkles TO his
face. and the years had left traces Of
their frosts and snow in his hair. The
Carmina Sacra. ton. was changed: once
!: had been bright and fresh and new.
but now il was faded and ragged.
Fully one-half II It's green Dashboard
covers were missing.
Didn't know me at fust. did YEP
asked the Carmina. '.Waal. times he,
gone powerful hard with me. and
guess | amt Of much more account,
nchcw. Why. when your gran'm
bought me cost her dollar N q half
but meow I'm chucked inter this err
basket with lot o. vain. frivolous
secular trash that's goin' at = nine
pence apiece"
The oldtune-book sighed grievously
10 Hiram Atkins il did seem liz
dissertation This old :une-book wa
one % the first books he had ever he'll
In his hands-with the exception Of hi
New England primer. his cascchisr
and his Bible--it was the first.
I'll buy We; darned II Idon'tr' erie
Hiram "Ta buy We. il il takes III
Last hoss dad goi!''
And he did buy the old Carmin
Sacra- although It cost him only tw
iork shillings. and not spirited Mo-
gan. = you might suppose.
Hiram took the Gamma home wit
him. and that evening they talke
over old times together; that il 70 81,
a. Hiram turned over the leaves Of q
quaint old book and saw the familis
hymns and psalms and anthems. II
tunes seemed 70 talk with him and hui
70 him. and he could see faces and hes
voices he had mot seen nor heard
many years
You wux : little boy them" sa
brattie Stree: your legs WIZ chubl
an your cheeks wuz rosy. an "
wore cunnin' blue jacket to whis
your trousers WIZ buttoned with bra
buttons Sometimes when Il WI
eo'a you wore tippet and . cap I'll
nsd ear-lappets on Il; your yarn mi
tens wuz hitched together with lol
APE 70 keep you from losin' Of 'eI
Vugh' but what ALFRED cold wealth
we used ter have on the west side
me mountain. ehP"
"Waal. meow. l he'd almost forgott'
~ said Hiram. mnsingly.
lie heidi" exclaimed Denis; '.an'
don't remember the Oh meetin' hous
nuther. do YEP
Indeed. l do" said Hiram. .'an
remember the little blue Jacket wi
brass buttons best Of all. but I had I.
gotten whether the winters wuz 20 Va
cold or not. n"
''waal. declare for'tr' cried b.
ue Street THAT beats ali natu
An ye'vc forgot yer poor Of gran a
too haint YEP
uh. no" said Hiram. solemnly.
could never forget dear 81 gran n
'nough she's been dead many. ma
ycarA~
'1est = like = not 70 reekoll